Statements on Early Childhood Education - 5th October 2005

Statements on Early Childhood Education – 5th October 2005

Mr. Norris: I compliment Senator White on the
work she has done. I do not have a problem with
means testing so long as the bar is set high
enough. A lady spoke on the radio today who
has two autistic children. When her husband got
promotion all her supports were taken away. She
argued her case. Eventually her supports were
reduced from \180 to \36. That is not support.
The point made on the Government side that we
are no longer quite as family supportive as a
country as we think is well made.
I wish to refer to the OECD report. It makes
the point that early childhood education is a vital
foundation in terms of physical development,
brain growth, motor skills, language, intelligence,
personality formation and so on. This is the key
point. It also makes another significant point that
the section of society that benefits most from this
intervention is the poorest. Yet that is the area of
least take up because of less support and less
assistance.
The female drop out rate from the employment
system after the birth of a first or second child is
high. A point was made earlier about the unaffordability
for many of the creche in Leinster
House. The OECD report points out that typically,
a second earner in a couple family with two
young children in care with earnings of two-thirds
of average salary has no net return from work
after child care costs. That is mad. It shows
Senator White is correct when she says we have
to do something really imaginative. We have also
an unfortunate situation in Ireland where we
have the ambition of giving women the choice of
going out into the work place. The ideal is to have
the two parents in the home. My father died when
I was six. My mother brought me up and did a
pretty good job. Certainly my childhood was
enjoyable. It was difficult for her. The ideal is that
two parents would bring up the child equally but
that is not the real world.
In Ireland only 45% of lone mothers are in
employment whereas the rate is 81% in Austria,
76% in France and 84% in Japan. Here again we
are at the bottom of the table. The Cathaoirleach
has indicated I do not have much time. The
OECD report includes in this the Barcelona
objectives and spells them out clearly and how
they should be reached and what needs to be
done. It is along the lines of what Senator White
has suggested. The section of society who would
benefit most are the poorest and most vulnerable.
Mr. Norris: That is the group that is getting
least. It is up to the Minister of State and his colleagues
to redress the position.